THE FACT West Coast coach Adam Simpson knew it was going to be this tough doesn't make it any easier to take.

Simpson is not at all surprised the rebuilding Eagles have made such a poor start to their 2024 campaign.

After finishing bottom last year, West Coast has lost all 12 quarters this season, and Sunday's 3.12 (30) against the Western Bulldogs was the sixth-lowest score in club history.

BULLDOGS v EAGLES Full match coverage and stats

Asked if he thought the start of the season would so tough, Simpson replied: "That's what we have to be up for."

But he is also demanding improvement. And soon.

"Just keep moving forward. It's not just 'Let's get games into these kids' or 'Let's hope (Jeremy) McGovern plays well'.

"We need to get better, all of us.

"We need to get these things right around the fundamentals.

"We don't want to kick three goals."

There were small signs of life, with Simpson noting his side will win games if they keep having 51 inside 50s each week.

Astonishingly, the Eagles and Bulldogs were equal on 51 inside 50s for the game despite the one-sided scoreline. 

But the 2018 West Coast premiership coach is imploring Eagles fans to stay the course as they develop a team that has some quality senior players, some talented youth, and not much in between.

"We've had plenty of good times over the years and right now, we just to stick fat and try to get better," he said.

"This is my life, this is what we do, this is how we live. You have to have resilience. To get resilient, you need to be resilient - I don't know if that makes sense.

"We want to get better. We're not happy with the first three rounds, not at all.

"We think looking longer-term, we're heading in the right direction, but short-term, we want to see some improvement."

After an even first quarter, with two goals apiece, the Bulldogs went on an 11-goal spree and the Eagles did not kick their third major until midway through the final term.

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge noted a big win could cloud their thinking, but one fact was undeniable ahead of the Dogs' clash with Geelong next Saturday night.

"What we talked about was the fact that at three-quarter time, West Coast were 19 points," he said.

"We had to work hard defensively ... (it was) where it needed to be, so we liked that aspect. That's probably the highlight for us, not necessarily kicking 100 points.

"It's a tiny bit of momentum, but we have a tough task ahead of us in Adelaide against the Cats."

Beveridge was close to tears as he paid tribute to youth worker and passionate Western Bulldogs fan Les Twentyman, who died last week.

The game had extra meaning for Beveridge, who said he received a video from Twentyman as recently as a few days ago and he said his example was a theme within the group as they cruised to the big win.

"We did talk about that today as a group, as a team and as a club - the enabling of other people to do good, and that can really manifest in your own team," Beveridge said.

"(It can) have a significant impact on how formidable you can be. We did look for some inspiration from Les' life.

"He was always one of those people who thought that just a little thing can snowball into a really big thing, reach critical mass.

"I admire him greatly for that. We've lost a great person."